4 Unforgettable 60s Jingles
Can you still hum that catchy jingle from your childhood that just won't leave your head? The 1960s marked the golden age of advertising jingles and slogans that became permanently etched in American pop culture. These musical mini-masterpieces did more than just sell products - they created unforgettable characters and catchphrases that would echo through generations. From squeezable bathroom tissue to controversial shaving cream ads, these vintage commercials captured both the innovation and innocence of the era.
1. Charmin - Mr. Whipple and the Squeezable Softness
The stern-faced Mr. Whipple became a household name with his perpetual struggle to stop customers from squeezing the Charmin. With his signature catchphrase "Please don't squeeze the Charmin," actor Dick Wilson brought this paradoxical character to life in over 500 commercials. The irony was delicious - while he admonished shoppers for squeezing the toilet paper, Mr. Whipple himself couldn't resist the temptation when no one was looking.
The campaign's ingenious premise highlighted Charmin's unique selling point - its irresistible softness. The commercials typically featured women surreptitiously squeezing the tissue rolls while shopping, only to be caught by the vigilant Mr. Whipple. The ubiquitous slogan was so effective that it became part of the zeitgeist of 1960s America, with people playfully repeating it in everyday conversations.
What made this campaign particularly memorable was its clever psychological trick - by telling people not to squeeze the product, it made everyone want to do exactly that. The forbidden-fruit approach turned a simple bathroom tissue into an object of desire, making Charmin's softness seem almost tantalizingly tactile. The character became so synonymous with the brand that Mr. Whipple continued appearing in Charmin commercials well into the 1980s.
2. Oscar Mayer - The Wiener Whistle and Iconic Jingle
The Oscar Mayer Wiener jingle became an ephemeral part of American culture with its catchy tune "I Wish I Were an Oscar Mayer Wiener." The commercial featured a parade of children marching and singing while playing the distinctive Wiener Whistle - a small hot dog-shaped whistle that became one of the most coveted promotional items of the decade.
Kids across America would send in product labels to receive their very own Wiener Whistle, creating a marketing phenomenon that went beyond just selling hot dogs. The simple yet memorable lyrics "Oh, I'd love to be an Oscar Mayer wiener, that is what I'd truly like to be. 'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener, everyone would be in love with me" struck a chord with audiences of all ages.
The company later expanded their musical marketing with another unforgettable tune about their bologna, featuring the spelled-out lyrics "My bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R." Both jingles were masterpieces of simplicity, written by Richard Trentlage, who created advertising melodies that would stubbornly stick in people's heads for decades. The Wiener Whistle promotion was so successful that vintage whistles have become collectible items, with some original 1960s pieces fetching impressive prices among memorabilia enthusiasts.
3. Noxzema - "Take it off, take it all off"
The Noxzema shaving cream campaign pushed the boundaries of 1960s television advertising with its provocative slogan "Take it off, take it all off." The commercials featured Swedish model Gunilla Knutson speaking seductively to male viewers while a man shaved his face. The double entendre of the tagline caused quite a stir in more conservative households.
What made this campaign particularly audacious for its time was the sultry delivery combined with the intimate setting. Knutson's breathy voice and direct eye contact with the camera created an atmosphere that was risqué by 1960s standards. The suggestive nature of the ads sparked debates about appropriate content for prime-time television, yet the controversial approach proved incredibly effective for boosting sales.
The campaign's genius lay in its careful balance between suggestion and propriety. While the tagline seemed salacious, the actual content showed nothing more than a man shaving - a perfectly innocent activity. The phrase became so ingrained in popular culture that people would often quote it in non-shaving contexts, much to Noxzema's benefit. Despite the controversy, or perhaps because of it, the campaign succeeded in making Noxzema a formidable competitor in the men's shaving cream market, marking a shift toward more daring advertising strategies.
4. Rolaids - Forgotten Slogan from the 60s
The Rolaids antacid campaign centered around a deceptively simple yet effective spelling lesson: "How do you spell relief? R-O-L-A-I-D-S." While not as flamboyant as other 1960s advertisements, this straightforward approach created a lasting impact on viewers. The commercials often featured people suffering from acid indigestion, asking the quintessential question about relief.
The campaign utilized a clever wordplay that made the brand name synonymous with the very benefit it provided. Shot in stark black and white, these commercials had an almost documentary-like quality that lent credibility to their message. The spelling mechanism served multiple purposes - it helped viewers remember the product name, associated the brand directly with relief, and created a memorable call-and-response pattern that viewers could participate in.
The commercials typically showed everyday scenarios where someone would experience heartburn or indigestion, followed by the spelling relief question. The genius lay in its simplicity - by creating this verbal connection between relief and the product name, Rolaids managed to position itself as the go-to solution for acid indigestion. While this campaign might seem quaint by today's standards, it demonstrated how a straightforward message, consistently delivered, could create lasting brand recognition.
